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obedient thoughts

As I lay in bed last night, I kept thinking about the times when I or one of my friends is struggling with what seems like justified — though sinful — thoughts. Sometimes, these thoughts just seem like a deserved indulgence, but sometimes they seem like a very justified part of a healing process (for example, hating someone who hurt you very deeply, etc.). Typically, I want to say, “Go for it! You have every right to feel this way!” But last night, my spirit kept breathing out one Scripture:

2 Corinthians 10:5 “…We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ…”

I made a mental note that I don’t want to counsel anyone (including myself!) that hateful, vengeful, or even obsessive thoughts are ever justified — even as “a part of the healing process”; God has shown us a more joyful — more free — Way. To aggressively capture each vividly emotional thought and command it to bow down to a Savior who died not only for the one who hurt us, but also for our sinful thought. This is the narrow part of the “narrow road”; this is the cross part. If we don’t make ourselves love our enemies when we have them, what good is Christ’s command (Matthew 5:44)? Of course it’d be much easier to love them after we’ve been through the whole healing process or after they’re dead or disappeared…but I think that would negate Jesus’ point and would keep us from becoming more like the man who, at just the right time, died for the ungodly.

We can do this because God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (read this).